Tension headaches are usually one
of two types. In one, the pain circles the head like a hatband.

In the second, it comes from the
back of the head up over the top and toward the eyes.

Both types may
be associated with a pounding or throbbing sensation – more often, the hatband
type. As the name implies, tension headaches are typically caused by emotional
stress, which can result from an event as incidental as arriving late to work,
getting stuck in traffic or getting angry with a family member.

This stress
very often results in tight muscles in the neck and/or across the shoulders and
upper back — the most common places to find emotionally-caused muscle tension.
Now, if the tight muscles were attached to perfectly-positioned vertebral bones
and perfectly-moving joints, you would simply have tight muscles. If, however,
some of the vertebrae are out of position, the joints between them are also
restricted in motion and the muscle tension has more of a negative effect on
the spine.

If this
abnormality results in a subluxation (a chiropractic term defined below), it
puts uneven pressure on one of the spinal nerves. This causes the spinal nerves
on one side to be either hyper- or hypo- active, while the other side may be
normal. Now, given the increased muscle tension affecting this
less-than-perfectly functioning spine and spinal nerve root complex, the
affected joint is going to have more pull from the muscles on one side than from
the muscles on the other side; worsening the subluxation. The two areas of the
cervical spine typically associated with tension headaches are the upper
cervical region and the mid-to-lower cervical region. If you or anyone you know
suffers from tension headaches, chiropractic is a safe, effective and
cost-effective method of treating this problem.

Please
note: tension headaches are not caused by a shortage of aspirin, and
therefore, cannot be “solved” by taking Tylenol, ibuprophen, naprosyn, or any
other pharmaceutical or potion. These medications are pain relievers and do just
that. They do not address the underlying problem.

If you have
any questions, please e-mail docflum@verizon.net or call 617-232-3335
(office) or 617 275-6322 (cell). To me, the most important thing is to be able
to help... I can’t help you if I don’t know you’re suffering!

Subluxation:
a bone that is slightly malpositioned, therefore causing the joint to move less
well than it ought.